The “critical race theory” war on education has come to Westport.
A group calling itself “Westport Parents” has created a website: “WP06880.” There were links to it on several local Facebook sites yesterday morning; they soon disappeared.
There are no names associated with the project, and no means of contacting the organizers beyond subscribing to updates.
The website describes the group as 37 parents who got together in June. They wanted to share concerns about “the increasing focus on assertions of racism in our community, especially after our new Superintendent of Schools made these assertions in his Strategic Plan.”
That’s a reference to a statement by Thomas Scarice about systemic racism in Westport. He hired the NYU Metro Center to perform an equity audit.
One screenshot of the “WP06880” website …
The website says:
We were alarmed by the ideology and methodology of the Metro Center, which we could access on its website, and which was clearly based in Critical Race Theory.
Those of us who were familiar with CRT know it to be a Marxist based ideology that seeks to divide people by separating them into groups based on power dynamics, with white people seen as white supremacist being dominant and all others being the marginalized groups of oppressed victims. This oppressor vs oppressed division into identity groups would necessarily create division and be harmful to our school aged children.
Another page on the website says that Critical Race Theory has “connections to Marxism, past and present. The group hopes to “arm Westport parents with strong counter-arguments when CRT apologists try to bully CRT critics with insinuations of racism.”
… and another.
The mission, according to the website, is to “stop the proponents of false and destructive narratives from implementing their political agenda to transform our schools.” The group wants to focus on academic achievement, and “reject political activism and moralizing intrusions in the classroom.”
There are quotes — also anonymous — from parents:
My wife and I believe that some things are best taught at home and in our church. We want the schools to focus on the academic skills necessary for our children to succeed in a global economy. Equal OPPORTUNITY for all, not equal OUTCOMES! (“Long Lots Elementary School father”)
Let’s keep this toxic doctrine where it belongs: far away from our children and schools. (“Saugatuck Elementary School parent”)
I send my kids to school to learn how to read and write, add and subtract. They are not there to be guinea pigs in some “anti-capitalist” sociology experiment. (“Staples mom”)
Among the suggested action steps:
- Put up a yard sign
- Demand an end to the relationship with NYU Metro
- Get the RTM to adopt a proposal that Westport is diverse and welcoming
- Demand parent access to current school curriculum.